A Small Recall from Ford

When we talk about recalls of vehicles that are offered by some of the largest names in the automotive world we picture hundreds of thousands of models being brought back to dealerships for a fix. This is typically the case, especially when you think about some of the parts that are fairly universal such as the airbags, but there is a new recall for Ford that doesn’t affect a large number of models, making it one of the smallest recalls in recent history from this or any other high volume automaker that we’re familiar with.

Imagine driving on the highway at a high rate of speed with your family in your SUV and the gear you need for your journey along when suddenly you lose power and begin to slow down. You take a look at the gauges and see you’ve still got fuel, oil pressure seems ok, and everything appears to be fine but your check engine light has suddenly started to illuminate, indicating there’s a problem somewhere in the inner workings of your vehicle. This is what could happen in just a few of the models from Ford that are affected by the most recent recall.

This recall is being issued because the torque converters of some vehicles may have inadequate welds on the studs of this part. The vehicles affected by this issue are equipped with the 2.0-liter gasoline engine and the 6F35 transmission attached. These vehicles are part of the 2017 lineup of the Ford Edge, Fusion and Lincoln MKZ. Thankfully this only affects a small number of models which comes to a total of 5,914 vehicles in North America to give us one of the smallest recalls offered by this manufacturer in many years that it’s been in business.

If the welded studs should come detached in these vehicles the torque converter will lose coupling of the engine flexplate and the vehicle will lose power without warning while you’re driving. This could cause an extremely dangerous situation, especially if it were to happen at highway speeds. The vehicle will still have power steering, power brakes, electrical function and the vehicle restraint systems still in operation as well as the park function of the transmission to help ensure the vehicle can be brought to a safe and complete stop. The company is preparing to issue notices to those that currently own models that are affected by this recall.

The fix for this will be for Ford to replace the torque converter at no cost to the customer and so far there haven’t been any accidents or injuries reported as a result of this recall. This is a recall that will need to be executed right away to make sure the vehicle can be made safe once again in order to allow an owner to feel confident in their Ford or Lincoln model. Thankfully, this is affecting this small number of models and isn’t a problem for every Ford or Lincoln model on the road today.